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plained Ned with becoming dignity
of importance and courtesy.
"I have a prescription to fill,
please," said the young lady. "Father
is very ill, or thinks he is, and I must
get the medicine and hurry back,"
and she placed a folded paper in his
hand, which he accepted and tried to
look professional.
"U-um!" he observed, scanning
the screed wisely "just so. Be seat
ed, miss, and I will fill the prescrip
tion at ones."
Ned proceeded back behind the
prescription case, slowly, however,
for he kept his customer in admir
ing sight as long as possible. Then,
shielded from those timid but bright
eyes, he glanced again over the pre
scription, t
Ned was not a registered pharma
cist, but he had studied Latin and
chemistry. There were two compo
nents of the prescription that were
familiar enough soda and "aqua
quantum sufficet." There was a third
ingredient named, however, that
puzzled him. A penciled word rep
resenting it had been blurred by rain
and pressure. It looked like "cap
gum." "Capsules?" studied Ned. "Hardly.
No, it isn't 'gum,' either. What can
it be?"
He ran over the bottles in' the case
that bore labels beginning with C.
Ca-car-cas-carraway? Nonsense!
Cascara? Hardly. Cap ah, I have
it capsicum."
It was not capsicum, In feet, but
Ned did not know that He did" not
hesitate, however. Soda was harm
less, water more so. Capsicum? Well,
it might be "bitey," but was an in
rfocent sort of ingredient outside of
that
"The mixture won't poison, any
how," reflected Ned, and he made up
the decoction, labeled it, wrapped it
up and handed it to the young lady.
"We have an account here. War
dell, J. H., is my father. I am Edna
Wardell," advised' the pretty customer.
"Oh, tWs all right," sMd Ned
with alacrity. "Is' Mr. Wardell an
invalid ? "
"He fancies he is," responded his
daughter, with a sigh of dreariness.
"The doctor says most of his ail
ments are fancied ones. Papa imag
ines he's got a great swelling in his
throat that is going to end wretch
'edly. The doctor says if he would
get out and occupy his mind it would
all pass away. I must hurry, please,
papa is so whimsical."
Ned- sighed as the sprightly form
vanished through the doorway. He
had Inherited a very comfortable for
tune within the week. He would
have given half of it to have had the
privilege of walking home with the
lovely maiden who had crossed his
path with dazzling effect.
Blair returned in a little while and
Ned seemed to have completely for
gotten an engagement he had pre
viously referred to. He narrated the
incident of his recent customer.
Blair scanned the prescription and
laughed.
"Ybu did very well for a novice
on the safe side, anyhow. Capsicum?
It wasn't that, but it will do that is,
unless the victim swallows the dose
prescribed raw. He'll do some ram
paging when he does."
Blair validated the impression ex
pressed by Miss Wardell that Mr.
Wardell was something of a hypo
chrondiac. Ned was not Interested
in that, however. He plied Blair with
questions as to his charming visitor,
more and more interested at contin
uous disclosures as to the rare qual
ities of mind possessed by this lovely
maiden, the "sort" he admired.
Suddenly the store door was flung
open. An old man with a cane dashed
in. Behind him was Miss Wardell.
Her companion, it was apparent to
Ned, was her father.
"Where is he the man who sent
me that fearful dose?" spluttered the
old man, and he brandished his cane
in the face of Blair.
"Hold on!" interfered Ned, spring-